The Effect of a QCR7 Gene Deletion on Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Lifespan

To explore aging in yeast, the yeast deletion collection was biochemically screened for changes in growth by staining cells with fluorescent viability dyes. The QCR7 gene was identified as a potential modifier of yeast lifespan. Qcr7 is a protein component of Complex III in the electron transport chain localized in the inner membrane of the mitochondria. The chronological lifespan assay was used to compare the lifespan of qcr7Δ and wild-type yeast cells. Through four rounds of testing, qcr7Δ yeast cells are seen to extended lifespan. Lifespan data from Trypan Blue staining of the cells were analyzed utilizing Python. Initial work focused on developing an image analysis program that identifies all yeast cells from microscope images based on edge detection. Versions of the Canny Edge detection program were utilized to identify the total number of cells. Our aim is to combine edge detection with contrast analysis using a binary mask to identify dead cells (stained blue) from live cells (clear in the microscope image). Characterization of Qcr7 will further link the role of mitochondrial function to yeast aging processes, and automated live-dead cell counting will contribute to the efficiency of analyzing yeast lifespan data for this project and future projects.